NPQ’s Week in Review

Good Morning! At NPQ, the news moves us—and what moves us is what moves you. Our latest Week in Review highlights what our readers bring to us in the form of tweets, comments, contributed articles, and newswires.

But first take a look at what you might have missed last week in some of the major news stories covered in NPQ.

FOUNDATION PARTNERSHIPS: Public-private partnerships between government and foundations are the cause célèbre in philanthropy.   Examples abound, including the collaborative efforts of foundations in Michigan.  The model used to be foundations leveraging public money, but increasingly as states struggle through revenue freefalls, public agencies are looking for foundation dollars to do things that they no longer can with missing public funds. 

PLAYING CHICKEN WITH THE ECONOMY:  The nation’s leaders are still demonstrating, shall we say, a dysfunctional model of governance in the debt ceiling impasse.  Nonprofits are more and more worried, not just about the possibility of debt-mageddon driving the nation into economic collapse, but about the fact that the failure of all sides to find common ground will lead to massive cutbacks in federal and state safety net programs.  It bodes ill for the nation given how economic conditions for the poor are worsening.

THEM THAT HAS, GETS (MORE):  On the heels of news that Teach for America has received 1/3 of all foundation grants to education groups between 2000 and 2008, on top of the huge levels of federal funding it has received years under such programs as i3, now comes word that the Walton Family Foundation (of Wal-Mart fame) is giving TFA $50 million to double the size of its teaching corps. 

PREDATORY NONPROFITS:  Is there anything more disgusting that phony nonprofits running fundraising scams ostensibly to benefit the tornado-ravaged community of Joplin, Missouri?  It may not be directly related to Joplin, per se, but Senator Charles Grassley is once again calling for new regulatory oversight of nonprofits that play fast and loose with the American public. 

And much, much more.

Readers Pick. Hottest hitting article OF THE WEEK.

Indrajeet Chandrachud's Doing More with More: Putting Shared Leadership into Practice

This article by Michael Alison, Susan Misra and Elissa Perry is a grounded discourse on the importance of shared leadership in the complex environments of the future and on the practices that must be put into play to make it work. This article from the print edition of the Nonprofit Quarterly, Summer, 2011 is chock full of rich case studies and good advice, a combination that our readers always appreciate.

conversation OF THE WEEK.

Red Cross Chapters Consolidate – Many Layoffs at the Local Level

This newswire, which points to consolidations and layoffs at local Red Cross chapters around the country, ends with a question regarding whether or not these changes will diminish the capacity of that organization to mount effective disaster responses. Some suggested that the lack of volunteers and outposts in low-income areas on the Gulf Coast resulted in a slow response post-Katrina. This struck a nerve among some who have been on staff or served as volunteers with the Red Cross.  Readers weighed in on both sides.

ripple OF THE WEEK.

Where is Rural Philanthropy Heading and Where is the World are its Partners on the Journey?

NPQ’s own Rick Cohen attended the Council on Foundation’s conference on Rural Philanthropy last week and came home with a bird’s-eye view of the issues that were being discussed on the dais and,  more informally, in the hallways and break-out sessions.  This article was picked up by any number of websites and blogs allowing it to ripple out into communities where NPQ may not yet have adequate reach.  Both Rick and NPQ are known for keeping rural concerns on the front page. 

Trending Tweets of the week.

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Thanks for all you tweeters out there. You help us spread the word and we’re grateful for your engagement. From the 10 craziest state legislatures to the age-old question of whether nonprofits should charge for their services and more, your tweets helped to spread the news. Thanks for sharing! And if you don’t already, follow us on Twitter: @npquarterly.

 

CoronaInsightsJul 26, 10:29am via Web

The importance of adaptability: “Nonprofit Innovation in a Traditional Setting”http://t.co/OObGcfz @npquarterly

ColinD15Jul 26, 11:51am via UberSocial for BlackBerry

RT @npquarterly: Missouri Attorney General comes down hard on tornado charity fraudshttp://owl.li/5NC42

TESTIFYCOMMJul 26, 5:30pm via HootSuite

RT @npquarterly: 10 most outrageous state legislatures & there implications on#nonprofits http://owl.li/5NArR

vlarendtJul 27, 8:50am via HootSuite

RT @npquarterly: The big question: To Fee or Not to Fee? Should nonprofits charge for all or portions of their services http://owl.li/5KfNo

facilitationproJul 27, 11:37am via bitly

From @npquarterly Michigan Red Cross Chapters Consolidate – Many Layoffs at the Local Level (national implications): http://bit.ly/o9RnHu

legaleagle2010Jul 27, 9:22pm via HootSuite

@npquarterly | Senator Grassley Proposes New Nonprofit Regs Thanks to Investigation of the Boys and Girls Clubs http://bit.ly/q7h8hc

NPQ’s Contributors of the week.

Nancy Knoche

Our contributor of the week is Nancy Knoche of Arizona, a regular volunteer Newswire contributor. Often she writes about her own region but this week she contributed a Newswire about AARP and its questionable business practices. Our newswire writers have a special place in our hearts, sharing, as they do, a rich stream of news and analysis from diverse perspectives. If you are interested in contributing in this way we’d be thrilled to hear from you. 

NOW IT’S YOUR TURN! GIVE IT TO US.

Got a Tip for Us? We Need Your Voice Here

Did we miss something this week? What do you want to see us cover next week? Be our eyes and ears on the ground. Don’t hold back. Let us have it. And we’ll put it right here. Just let us know if you want it to be confidential.